Regius Specialis
by Mistress Panda
Summary: Danny's parents see how stressed out he and Jazz have become. They thought it was a good idea that they stay with Great-Aunt Bethanne in London. Not the best idea as the two become deep in secrets that involve both their family and the Royal Family!
1. London Bridge Is Falling Down: Prologue

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what will happen in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is after the third season but no Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

Summary Extended: Danny's parents realize how stressed out he and his sister, Jazz, have become. (C'mon though they don't know that he's a half-ghost doesn't mean they don't know when their kids are stressed out.) So they thought the two should have a little break, in LONDON! Convinced (and that his parents are forcing him to do so anyway), he and Jazz go to London to stay with their great aunt Bethanne.

However, not everything is as it seems. As Danny and Jazz dig deeper into the history of their English cousins, the more terrifying and dangerous it becomes to the point that Danny wishes that he HAD stayed in Amity.

_Because now that they're in, there may be no way out..._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji(Black Butler).**

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_1888, London_

_London bridge is falling down..._

_...Falling down..._

_...Falling down..._

_...London bridge is falling down..._

_My fair Lady..._

The fires continued to rage throughout the city, showing no mercy to its inhabitants. It consumed the wood of the buildings, causing them to crumble into nothing but ash. Many fell in a lethal faint as the smoke filled their lungs.

There were others not so lucky to have such an end...

A woman screamed in horror as the flames grabbed her, refusing to release her from his fiery grip. It traveled to her hair, hungry for her flesh. She rolled on the ground, trying as she might to rid herself of the flames. Others watched in morbid fascination as the woman's struggles became less and less until she became still.

More and more bodies littered the streets: some knocking on Death's door, and some already entering his humble abode.

The Thames was no exception as the ferocious orange flames reflected upon its waters. Debris in the river and limp bodies about the concrete banks made for a gruesome sight. Most of those corpses looked as if they were attempting to escape the harsh smoke and ash by the saddened river but to no avail.

On top of the incomplete Tower Bridge, a battle was near its conclusion. Black and white feathers exploded everywhere, leaving a young noble—who looked no older than thirteen—to hang on the edge of a wooden plank.

Screams of anguish filled the air as a voice counted down from ten.

_Ten..._

_Nine..._

Blood was everywhere as a man in all white cursed at his unseen opponent.

_Eight..._

The man in white's horror at his opponent's approach as black and white feathers blurred his vision.

_Seven..._

"Useless. Let go!" came the man in white's pleas.

_Six..._

"Useless! Useless!" he continued.

_Five..._

A black-gloved hand went through the man's chest cavity, blood everywhere... The young noble's face scrunched up in the strain of holding on.

_Four..._

_Three..._

"Featherless!" the man stammered out.

_Two..._

The man started yelling for it to stop...

_One..._

A pale blue light expanded from the bridge outwards. This was followed by a bright white light that consumed all of the Tower Bridge, cleansing it of the fallen angel.

Another man stood at where the young noble held on, missing his left arm and said, "It's over, young master."

The boy looked up with one royal blue eye and the other violet with a pentagram. His raven hair flapped in the breeze as he looked up to the man with a sincere but sad smile.

Then he let go...

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**I know it's short. Every time I start a new story, the first two posts are the shortest.**

**Edit 1/10/10: Bear with me as I get the next chapter up. I want to complete at least three chapters before posting chapter 1.  
**

** Thanks for reading and please humble me with a review!**


	2. Forced Vacation

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what will happen in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is after the third season but no Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler).**

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_Thursday, May 12, 2005: Amity Park_

The air was filled with a sense of rebirth this night, after a day of unrelenting rain. The gray clouds had departed from the suburban town, allowing the crescent moon to place its protective embrace on the town's inhabitants.

A playful breeze twisted and turned about, exploring the tranquility of this spring night. She rustled the the crisp, green leaves that glistened under the moon's gaze. She rattled the chains of the swing sets in a local playground.

As she approached a townhouse with a big sign saying, "FentonWorks," she stopped, almost as if she could feel some sort of distress from the abode. In curiosity, she crept through an opened bedroom window. The maroon curtains rustled in her fingers as if it were being tickled by her presence.

She felt another breeze, though she knew there couldn't be. After all, wasn't she the only moving air in the room?

The breeze redirected her currents to move towards the source, only to find a female human amongst the peach bedsheets, her violet eyes staring at the opened window. She was panting, sweat beads forming on her delicate forehead. Some of the sweat spread to her auburn hair, giving it a greasily look.

But she didn't care.

She was afraid. ….afraid of what her own children maybe hiding from her.

...especially her son.

She wasn't blind. Despite the smiles and gestures that would he make to assure her of his well-being, she could see the innocence gone from her son's blue eyes. He would walk around as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

...and her daughter knew about it and refused to tell.

She shivered as the breeze left the bedroom.

Why couldn't they just tell her what was wrong? What was so detrimental that they would refuse to seek counsel from their own mother?

In either case, she knew that it had something to do with the suburban town in which they live. After all, having many ghosts attacking the once-peaceful Amity Park could change people, including her own flesh and blood.

She looked at the clock. _4:15 A.M... _

'It's about time I'd give her a call,' Maddie Fenton thought as she picked up the bedroom phone and began to dial a certain number.

_Friday, May 27, 2005: Amity Park_

Clouds. There were many huge clouds that day, none of which threatened rain. The blue sky appeared behind those ominous clouds every so often, along with the sun that would lighten the world with its rays.

Regardless, it was humid.

Terribly humid.

Moisture encompassed the air and the clouds did not allow it to escape. The birds retreated to the shades of trees, although there wasn't that much change in humidity. Everyone had their air conditioners up high in their homes as no one didn't want to try to walk through the sauna of a day.

Even if one would venture to the outdoors, it was only to get the mail and the daily newspaper. That in itself was a chore.

So on Misty Street, in front of a peculiar townhouse, there stood a boy no older than fifteen, retrieving the mail from the mailbox. He had volunteered to go since both his parents were busy on another one of their ghastly inventions in the basement, and his sister needed to finish one of her essays for one of the scholarships in which she was applying.

As typical of a teenage boy, a curious one at that, he looked through the mail as he walked back inside the comfort of his home. Bills, bills, and more bills met his royal blue eyes.

_'One of the things that I'm not looking forward to as an adult,'_ he thought with a groan as he tossed those envelopes onto the kitchen table.

There was a letter addressed to his parents. It was a peculiar royal blue color; the envelope definitely from one of those rather expensive stationary sets.

There was no return address.

He was tempted to open it but had let it slide. He placed that one on the top of the pile. The rest were college recruitment letters for his sister.

He yawned, rather cheerful that he was officially on summer vacation. He wanted to go spend time with his best friends but he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of being in the sweat fest of the century.

His hand reached for a cup from the cupboard when he gasped. A breathe of condensed air came from his lips. He sighed, knowing what that had meant.

A ring of light appeared around his abdomen, which split into two rings of light traveling opposite directions. The once black-haired, blue-eyed human teenager became a white-haired, glowing green-eyed ghost. In other words: Danny Fenton became Danny Phantom.

He phased through the walls of the kitchen and out into the street. The humidity didn't bother him as much in this form but it was still quite an annoyance. His eyes glanced up and down the street to find out what has caused him to leave his air-conditioned home.

Then he saw who it was.

"I'M THE BOX GHOST, RULER OF ALL THINGS RECTANGLE AND SQUARE! YOU SHALL—HEY!" The Box Ghost's most ingenious plan yet was foiled once again as he was pulled into a Fenton Thermos, courtesy of the young half-ghost.

He flew into his bedroom and changed back to his human self. He figured that he'll let the Box Ghost out a little later and was about to go on the Internet when his parents called him downstairs. He sighed and stretched, fully preparing himself for another one of his dad's ramblings about his latest invention.

An invention that could probably prove to be hazardous to his life.

In either case, he couldn't prevent it since his parents didn't know about him being a half-ghost. There was just too much risk and uncertainty by letting him know about his 'condition.'

Thus, he so slowly trudged his way down the stairs to the kitchen.

His sister, Jazz, was already there. Her own blue eyes looked a bit more nervous for his liking, making him wonder what had just happened.

Then he saw his parents, who were in their Hazmat suit glory, smiling. His mother held the blue envelope in plain view, already opened. He too became unsure how to react to his parents' mood.

It was also she who spoke first. "We saw that you two seemed stressed out..."

That had to be the understatement of the century. Two months ago, he had battled his jerky evil future self and nearly lost everyone he loved because of Dark Dan. Then on Spring Break, he had to stop some crazed guy named Freakshow from his evil scheme of alternating reality. That on top of the fact that he had final exams and the normal ghost annoyances, he felt that he had been through a wringer several times.

Summer vacation was almost a blessing in disguise, if it wasn't for the fact that ghosts were still not relenting in their schemes for world domination.

"So," his father, Jack, continued in a loud voice. "We've decided you should go stay with your great-aunt Bethanne in England."

"What!" both Fenton siblings shouted in pure shock. The lower part of Jazz's right eye twitched at the news.

"Don't we get a say in this?" Jazz asked, looking over to her brother to see his reaction.

"Of course not sweetie," their mother replied with a small smile. "And I thought you would agree that a change of scenery would be a good idea for both of you."

The redhead teenager tried to counter but could not. However, Danny decided then to speak up.

"But what about...?" Danny started before he was interrupted by his father again.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, kiddo!" Jack encouraged, patting the skinny teenager on the back. "Besides it's only for a month..."

"A month!" the two shouted again. This was too much for Danny. How was Amity Park going to stay afloat for a month without Phantom? How will his friends hold up? Valerie as the Red Huntress might be a help with her abhorrent of ghosts but even she has her limits.

And he didn't even want to think about his parents...

After a moment of silence, the two parental figures exchanged a look of confusion. Then Maddie looked at her children with concern. She would have hoped they would jump onto such an opportunity to leave Amity Park for a while. But to them to react it such a way...

What were her children hiding?

"I'm going to my room," Danny finally said, ignoring the imploring violet eyes as he went up the stairs. He could faintly hear his sister tell their parents another excuse as she followed behind him.

They shared a look of uncertainty as they passed each other in the second floor hallway before going to their respective rooms.

XXXX

"You're going to England for a month!" his friend, Sam, cried out in surprise at through the receiver of Danny's phone. Conveniently, Sam's phone had three-way so that he, Sam and his other friend, Tucker, could talk to each other.

"Dude, take the vacation!" Tucker urged. "We all know you need it."

"But what about Amity Park?" Danny asked his friends. "I can't just say to Skulker, 'Hey can you not terrorize my hometown while I'm away for a month?'"

"Danny, relax," his spectacled friend assured. "We got this."

"We've nearly a year's worth of ghost hunting under our belts," his Gothic friend added. "We can handle it."

"I know, I just..." He sighed as he rubbed his temple.

"'...don't want the burden on us,'" his two friends finished for him. He could almost guess they were rolling their eyes at his 'hero complex.'

There was a pause before Sam asked, "Wait, didn't you say that you have no choice in the matter?"

"...Yes," he said reluctantly.

"Then you have to go regardless, dude! You know it's bad when your oblivious parents are pushing it," Tucker nearly shouted. "Enjoy the vacation. If it makes you feel better, we'll call you if something gets out of hand, okay?"

"Alright, fine," he gave in. "As long as you're certain..."

"We're fine! Jeez Danny," Sam paused. "You and your hero complex."

With a chuckle, they said their good-byes for then as he snapped his cellphone shut. Danny laid back on his bed, staring at his ceiling.

_'Maybe I can make the best of it,' _he thought as he found himself slipping into the realm of dreams.

XXXX

_Saturday, May 28, 2005, Outskirts of London_

Splashes of azure, peach, and yellow faded into purple, orange, and red as the glorious sun sank below the English horizon. A few stars twinkled in the darkening sky with the First Quarter moon following behind.

The breeze's cousin, wind, rolled about the breath-taking landscape, disturbing its inhabitants with its tough-boy nature. However, he was cautious to not displease the lady of the Middleford estate as she sat outside on her veranda.

She was not the type to anger.

And thus, he left the elderly woman undisturbed, making a U-turn towards London.

The said elderly woman chuckled at the fact that the wind refused to meet her as she slipped her warm black tea. Her smile seemed cynical in a way that would be unfitting for such a woman of her age.

Her hazel eyes fell onto her tea cup with profound loneliness, until they were filled with a devious spark again.

Without turning away from the scenery, she stood from her seat and began, "The plane shall arrive at ten forty-five tomorrow night. Be sure to retrieve the young Fentons. That should not be too much of a chore for you..."

She turned her head to see two crimson eyes in the shadows of the parlor. Her mouth contorted into an aged smirk.

"Mikhail..."

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**A/N: Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. Fate decided to finally give me a life. (sweatdrop)**

**Thank you guys for your wonderful reviews, story alerts, and faving! I really appreciate them very much.**

**Until next time, adieu faithful readers.**


	3. Innocent Welcome

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what will happen in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is after the third season but no Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). I'm just a girl who loves them both.

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**

_Saturday, May 28, 2005: Somewhere Over England_

"We shall be landing in London within the hour. Please be seated and fasten your seat belts. And we thank you again for choosing U.S. Airways," the lead flight attendant's voice crackled over the intercom of the airplane.

A mat of raven hair shifted from where the teenage boy rested his head on the small window. He tried to stifle the noise from the plane's engines and return to his slumber. It was a futile attempt since he and his older sister were seated right next to the one of the plane's engines.

His eyelids opened slowly, revealing two identical pools of blue underneath. He moaned quietly as he turned his face towards his sister, who, surprisingly, was reading a mystery novel. He figured it was only because she wanted a break from reading college-level psychiatric textbooks.

The redhead sensed someone was watching her and her eyes locked onto her brother's. There was a sort of communication link that established between the two through that gaze, connecting themselves the other's emotions: anxiety, curiosity, excitement, bittersweet. Neither of them could understand why; maybe going to such a different place was the reason.

Before he had fell asleep, Jazz mentioned that about twelve years ago, they all had visited their great-Aunt Bethanne. She had remembered some of the encounter but not much since she was five at the time. Of course, Danny had no record of such a trip being that he was just a toddler. So neither of them knew what to expect out of this forced vacation.

Nor did either of them realized how much time had passed as the lights of London glimmered through the plane window. They snapped out of their link and looked towards the city, its dim orange glows of the many lights that lined its streets and encompassed the windows of its buildings. If the Fenton teenagers didn't know where they were going, they could have mistaken it for any other city they had visited.

The plane began descending, waiting for the air traffic controller to give the okay to land. While doing so, the captain's stern, but tired voice crackled onto the intercoms. "Welcome to London, England. The local time is ten twenty-five. The weather is overcast with a temperature of eighteen degrees Celsius. There is a chance of showers, but not likely. We shall be landing shortly. And on behalf of the crew and myself, we will like to thank you all for choosing U.S. Airways."

After circling the airport for a few minutes, the captain continued to descend, intending on landing this time. The plane rattled, ears popped due to the change in pressure. Danny and Jazz could only sit back into their coach seats as the wheels of the plane lowered. The buildings, streets, and cars became bigger and closer as the plane approached the runway.

Then with a sudden jolt, they landed safely. The lights of the terminals blurred past as the plane sped past, slowing down with every few feet.

A man that sat in front of Danny and Jazz exhaled a breath of relief, probably due to the fact that he wasn't too keen on this form of transportation.

Before long, the two teenagers were rolling their carry-ons and suitcases towards the passenger pick-up exit. As they continued on their way, some airport employees looked at them with sorrowful expressions.

"Going through customs was a pain," the raven-haired boy complained as he glanced around. He was completely exhausted from having to prove to the pompous customs officer that the Fenton Thermos was just a thermos. Though it was a lie, he never could be too careful to not have it on him. "And why are some people giving us the pity look?"

"Because we're 'unaccompanied minors'," the redhead answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They must assume that we are orphans or something..."

Danny sighed as he dragged his luggage. "Whatever... Let's just get to where we need to go. I'm going through some serious jet lag."

His sister chuckled at his words. "But you never experienced it before, even after all the you-know-what?"

"That's different!" he half-whispered, half-shouted. "I'm not in some flying piece of metal in the sky, sitting near an engine that won't let me sleep!"

"Are you saying that you don't like flying that way?" she asked, clearly amused by this irony.

"No, I just prefer not to," the younger teenager mumbled.

They passed through the double-sliding doors of London City Airport and into the damp night air. A gentle breeze from their right played with their strands of hair. They looked around, searching for some sign of someone retrieving them from the airport on behalf of their great-aunt Bethanne.

There seemed to be no one.

"Should we call?" Jazz suggested. "She was probably expecting us to call when we landed."

A yawn was the boy's response as he stretched out his limbs. "Whatever gets me somewhere to rest my head..."

The elder sighed at her brother's demeanor but understood. Neither of them had a decent slumber the night before due to the last-minute preparations (ie. Chores, packing, and shopping). Her brother was usually in a better condition than herself because of the late night ghost fights. However, he was fighting ghosts in between these tasks, leaving the young halfa exhausted.

Jazz yawned as well as she began to dial their great-aunt's phone number. Then she felt a slight tingling on the back of her neck. It rose and fell, nearly oscillating in its pulses to her subconscious that there was something there.

Something behind her...

A white-gloved hand fell on her shoulder. She let out a small cry of alarm, alerting her younger brother of her distress. Purely acting on instinct, he pushed his sister away from the imminent danger and attempted to show the perpetrator some matters.

The keyword here is 'attempted'.

Just he was about to give the strange man a fairly noticeable black eye, his fist was caught by his opponent.

"You're too slow," the strange young man stated in a strong British accent. "More practice and you should be able to deliver a sufficient amount of damage."

Completely caught off-guard by the man's reaction, Danny looked at him, finally noting the person he was about to attack.

He wore a black suit and tie, with a white flannel shirt underneath. His hands, including the one still holding Danny's fist, were donned with white gloves. His hair was of a black nature, much like the younger teenager's own, rather long but kept neatly to preserve the dignity he possessed.

But it was his crimson eyes that disturbed the startled teenager. They bored into Danny's own blue eyes, making the poor halfa feel exposed and all secrets he held were now known to this stranger. A hint of recognition glinted in those fiery eyes. For a moment, the teenager thought he saw a bit of melancholy in those irises. Either way, he was eternally grateful for Jazz's intervention.

The said girl cleared their throat to get their attention. "Are you the one Auntie Bethanne sent to pick us up?" Jazz asked the strange man.

Seeing that the opposing boy was calmed, if not suppressed, he released Danny's trembling fist from his grasp. He pulled out a sign that was underneath his left arm which had their surnames written in elegant handwriting on its surface.

"Yes. I'm Mikhail Bastion, the butler of the Lady Bethanne," he replied as he glanced at the two. "Jasmine Fenton and your brother, Daniel Fenton, I presume?"

Both siblings thought in dismay,_ 'Why must everyone of high status call us that?'_

"Please call us Jazz and Danny," the redhead insisted, if not with a little edge to the words, remembering all too well an unpleasant encounter with a certain billionaire. "Jasmine and Daniel are too formal."

A ghost of a smile crept onto the butler's face as he took their suitcases. "I'll commit it to memory, Ms. Jazz. Now we must depart. London nights like these can be quite frightful." With that said, the black-donned butler walked towards the black 1997 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan.

The two siblings shrugged their shoulders, once again exchanging a look of uncertainty about this whole situation. Neither one did like the strange aura the man was giving off nor the quite chilly night. Noticing that Mikhail had already placed their suitcases in the trunk and was now waiting for them, Danny and Jazz realized they had no other choice but to go with their great-aunt's butler. After all, they weren't quite familiar with this side of the globe, therefore it was pointless to run away.

The two allowed the fiery-eyed butler open the car door for them and they slid inside. Mikhail closed the door after them and went to the driver's seat (which was on the right side of the car). The engine roared to life and he pulled out of the parking space.

The London lights blurred past the Fenton siblings' blue eyes as the city's nightlife was in full swing. However, even this wouldn't keep the young half ghost awake as he dozed off on his elder sister's shoulder.

"Jet lag I suppose?" Mikhail asked, noting the boy's sleeping form through the rear view mirror.

A small sad smile crept on Jazz's face as she stared out the window to the passing buildings and sights. "He didn't have a good night's sleep last night and he couldn't get to sleep much on the plane here."

"I see..."

No other words were exchanged in the car as the scenery shifted from London to the countryside.

XXXXX

A light drizzle settled onto the landscape as the car continued its journey through the dismal landscape. Silhouettes of small abodes were seen through the little luminance of a moon that was trapped above the menacing clouds.

The sound of tires on asphalt continued to drone on as the car approached the ominous mansion of the Middleford estate. Against the darkness of the night, its silhouette seemed almost sinister and foreboding.

Crimson eyes looked in the rear view mirror to see a mess of black hair undisturbed on the elder girl's shoulder. Jazz herself was trying to stay awake herself but her human needs were winning this battle. A soft, 'humph,' passed his lips at the sight.

"We've arrived," he announced to his two passengers.

Jazz seemed a bit more awake after the silence was pierced. However, Danny still didn't stir, too far into the realm of dreams to know where he was. It was only when Jazz shook him awake did his eyelids give way to the blue irises underneath. He was still a bit groggy but conscious enough to realize that he was in a car, at their destination.

After putting the vehicle in PARK, he opened the rear door to allow the Fenton siblings to exit the vehicle. They slowly got out of the back seat, Danny slower than Jazz.

Mikhail led them to the double doors that served as sentries to the mansion. The twins looked down at the approaching humans with trepidation. What sort of guests arrive so late at night? Were they after their mistress?

Spotting the familiar face of the butler of the house, they allowed all thoughts of paranoia dissolve. After all, the two youths that were sluggishly trailing behind didn't seem to be any threat, at least at the moment. And looking upon the face of one of them brought a wave a nostalgia over them.

With all uncertainties aside, they permitted the butler to allow entry for the two travelers. Jazz and Danny hurried inside as the strange butler went back to the car to retrieve their suitcases.

They stood in the darkened, spacious entrance hall, shivering so slightly. Shadows seemed to surround the two the brother and sister as they felt eyes on them. Back to back and filled with their own paranoia, they searched frantically for the source of the feeling of being watched...

SLAM!

The two teenagers nearly jumped out of their skin as they saw only Mikhail closing the heavy mahogany door after getting their suitcases.

A soft, aged voice whispered, "Mikhail..."

In the corner of Danny's right eye, he saw an orange glow develop in the parlor to the right of the entrance hall. Seeing an amiable light amongst the shadows of the abode, the youngest Fenton urged his sister towards the parlor, while the black-donned butler disappeared into the shadows of the mansion.

The parlor itself was a sight. Trinkets from journeys, swords from duels, pictures of past Middlefords. The history of the wealthy family could be easily recorded by what was shown and what was hidden.

Pulling away from those things, two pairs of blue eyes directed themselves to the fireplace and the sofa and chairs surrounding it.

Influenced by the Victorian times, the mantle was carved with precision and detail of an artisan of the period. Unused candles adorned the surface of the mantle with a small clock ticking away the very seconds of life. Above the mantle, a picture of a stern, middle-aged man hanged, with emerald green eyes of mercy and forgiveness.

The source of the orange glow—a fire—crackled in the fireplace, providing the only light to the impending darkness.

An elderly woman sat in one of the chairs, staring at the fire through her glasses, her silver hair flowing freely past her shoulders. She made no move to acknowledge their presence nor make a sound to do so. She just sat there, as if she were contemplating something.

Then she turned to the two observers. Her face was rather wrinkled, not surprising for someone of her age. Beneath some of those wrinkles, her hazel eyes—currently favoring blue—twinkled at her newfound company. She could have been mistaken for anyone's grandmother. However, how her back was straight, her folded hands were in her lap, and her robes donned her body, one could tell she was a lady of stature.

"Please," her aged British voice resounded in their ears. "Have a seat Jasmine, Daniel." She gestured to the sofa on her left with an arm outspread.

With some hesitation, the two teenagers walked over to the sofa and seated themselves within its cushions. Though sleepily, they pulled all their energy reserves to stay awake.

"I will not keep you long," she said, noticing the siblings' struggles to not succumb to their human needs. "I'm your great-aunt Bethanne on your mother's side. I just wanted to welcome you to the Middleford estate, since it shall be where you eat, sleep, and bathe for at least a month. I hope that this vacation shall provide you with some peace of mind, after hearing from my niece's concerns for her children... Mikhail, show our guests to their accommodations."

Danny and Jazz turned around to see the said butler in the doorway. He held a silver seven-candlestick holder in his hand, with all candles a lit. With a slight bow, he replied, "As you wish, milady."

He turned to the teenagers. "May you please follow me?"

As the butler left with the drowsy youths in two, a smirk glided onto Bethanne's face as she silently hummed a familiar childhood tune.

"Sweet dreams, Daniel..."

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**A/N: I've decided to update this fanfiction at least twice a month, considering from here on the chapters shall be getting longer. Don't be too upset. I plan on updating the story more than that. Just don't be too surprise that there are only two updates one month and four the next. **

**After all, the grades come first before fanfiction.**

**Until next time, adieu faithful readers.  
**


	4. Exploration and the Box Ghost

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what will happen in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is before Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). The only thing I own is great-aunt Bethanne, but I'm not that proud to say that I created such a character.**

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_Silence... _

_Peace... _

_Every part of myself was calmed, any tension gone. I could feel my hair brushing against my face._

_I could hear a voice—a younger boy's?—whispering my name. It sounded gurgled, distorted, but I didn't think anything of it._

_Then I felt pressure on my chest and gasped._

_I wish I didn't..._

_The sting of a liquid rushing into my lungs forced myself to open my eyes._

_Water..._

_I was underwater..._

_I brought a hand to my mouth, trying to prevent any more water to get in my aching lungs._

_I looked around but saw nothing save the watery abyss._

_I felt a light above me, a peachy glow..._

_Believing it to be the surface, I frantically swam upward, my lungs burning for air._

_Just as I could taste the oxygen that was less than a foot away, there was a tug on my leg._

_It pulled down, keeping me from my last hope. I struggled to get away, reaching for the surface that became further and further away._

_Two arms, a ghastly bluish color, wrapped around my waist, almost as if it were embracing me._

"_Danny..." the voice gargled through the water, bubbles brushing against my ear._

_It pulled me closer. I could feel one of its hands move over my heart._

"_Relax..." My body lost its instinct of self-preservation, my limbs ceasing to move. My eyes remain fixed on the surface as my lone left hand seemed as if it were still reaching for the glow above me._

_Its right hand fell onto my eyes, closing my eyelids._

"_This is not your end..." the voice half-gargled, half-whispered to me in a gesture of reassurance as I felt myself dragged further away from salvation..._

XXXXX

_Sunday, May 29, 2005: Middleford Estate_

With a gasp of air, raven-haired teenager's eyes snapped open as he laid on his right side. He expected for his heart to be pounding within his rib cage and his hands to tremble violently.

But they weren't. The only thing that gave some indication of his body's reaction to such a dream was the bottom of his right eye that twitched uncontrollably.

"This is strange," he whispered to himself as he placed his right hand over the bothersome eye. Then his facial expression became deadpanned. _'I bet it's from the flight over,' _he thought bitterly. _'Stupid planes...'_

He stretched and yawned as the noon sun's rays prickled his skin. He pushed the bed covers away, already feeling the heat building underneath them.

Only then did he sit up and realized the size of the room in which he had awakened.

"Wow," he breathed. "It could easily fit my and Jazz's bedrooms at home with _still_ some space left over!"

He was currently sitting in a four-post bed with a white canopy above his head. The dark-brown wooden frame's naturalistic theme was hand-carved by who seemed to be a skilled, Victorian artisan. The tan comforter was of satin material while the bedsheets following under were a snow white. The pillows were of the same neutral colors with cotton pillowcases.

Directly in front of him was a matching body-length mirror to the bed. To the either side of that mirror were two identical dressers. To the right of that mirror was the door that lead directly to the second-floor hallway.

Immediate to the right of the door was a plain desk, also matching the bed set. The dark-brown wooden chair was simply made with not much of a design to its grains of wood.

Further down to the right of the desk was a door at an angle. This was the bathroom which was of a decent size that conjoined with his sister's temporary sanctuary.

And to Danny left was the window that let the annoying sunlight blanket the room in daylight glory. It was easily as tall as teenage boy, who was five feet and eleven inches in height. Its black trim peeked through the tan curtains, which were tied off to small, silver hooks on either side of the window.

...wait, the curtains were drawn?

Though Danny had been rather fatigued the night before, he specifically remembered that the curtains were closed before he drifted off to sleep.

Either his sister came in and opened them—which was unlikely because Jazz wasn't the most stealthy person he knew—or that strange butler, Mikhail, did.

Danny couldn't decide whether he should be frustrated or alarmed that he didn't awaken when his great-aunt's butler came into his room.

He was brought out of his musings when the smell of lunch floated up to his nose.

His stomach grumbled in response. His first instinct: rush out the door and follow the scrumptious smell to its origin. Then he realized that meeting his great-aunt in pajamas would probably not be a good idea.

He washed and dressed himself in his usual outfit: an over-sized white T-shirt with a red oval over his chest, baggy blue jeans, and red sneakers.

Following the smell took no real effort since Danny's senses were ghost-power-enhanced. He found the smell strongest in the kitchen of the mansion, where he saw Mikhail cleaning up the pots and pans he used to make the meal as the tray laid on the counter.

"Ms. Jazz and milady are waiting on the veranda for you," the butler simply stated, not taking one glance at the confused teenager.

"Ah, thanks," the raven-haired teenager said with a tone of uncertainty as he went towards that direction.

XXXXX

Through the double-glass doors of the parlor lies the huge veranda. Suspended a few feet off the ground to accommodate the hilly countryside, it provided a breath-taking view of the garden, the wood, and the small village a few miles away.

The breeze twisted about, rustling the leaves on the huge maple trees as it went. It blew the smell of roses and lilies to an elderly woman and her great niece who await for a certain boy to come down for lunch.

The teenage girl breathed in these aromas as she leaned against the railing of the huge brick patio. The breeze tussled with her long locks of red hair.

Never had she felt this relaxed in a long time. Usually, she would have to be wary of her surroundings due to the possibility of a ghost about to attack. If she wasn't doing that, the redhead would be nursing her younger brother's wounds from all the fights he faced with the nuisances.

Here, it seemed that she and her brother could feel at ease. Reluctantly, the girl had to admit her parents maybe right about this whole vacation away from Amity Park.

"Jasmine," Bethanne called to her. Upon hearing her name, the younger girl turned around to look at her hostess.

The said elderly woman had her silvery-white hair up in a loose bun, some strands of hair left out for the breeze to play with. She wore a long-sleeved white blouse which was tucked into her forest green ankle-length skirt, along with a pair of black Mary Jane's.

Through her spectacles, her hazel eyes—favoring green at the moment—scrutinized Jazz.

The stare made the redhead uncomfortable along with the use of her full name. But she swallowed these discomforts and answered her politely, "Yes, Auntie Bethanne?"

"Did you sleep well?" The question threw Jazz off for she thought her great-aunt had already figured out there was a secret between her brother and herself. She mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes ma'am," the redhead replied, keeping up with her courtesy. After all, it was not like everyday she saw her English relatives.

The elderly woman chuckled to a joke that only she knew as her eyes glistened at her great-niece. "Are you familiar with 'London Bridge's Falling Down'?"

Once again, Jazz was nearly thrown off-balance by her great-aunt. Her mind reeled with psychological reasons why the elderly woman before her would ask such a thing. Because it reminded her of her childhood? Held a significance to her? To a loved one?

While her mind went through possibilities, she could only nod her head to her hostess's question.

"You know what the song represents?"

She shook her head, allowing her mind to rest on the psychological aspect of the question.

"The old London Bridge constantly falling apart. It has been rebuilt so many times with so many different materials that it makes you wonder how it's still around today.

"You could say the same for human history. Old laws replaced with new regimes; out with the old era and in with the new. Because of such transitions, some things are forgotten and lost in history. 'Tis how the world turns."

Jazz never had thought of that nursery rhyme in such way, but it made sense.

Then it made her wonder about things in her and her brother's lives. Because of the accident that gave her brother his ghost half, all sense of normality remained buried in the past, nearly forgotten to both siblings.

Whether the hostess knew it or not, Jazz believed that her great-aunt had a hunch that there was something between the her and her brother that they weren't telling their parents.

Before either female could speak again, a familiar mess of raven hair appeared at the opened glass doors.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked the two. A soft smile glided onto the elderly woman's face as her eyes glanced at the boy in the doorway.

"Not at all, Daniel," Bethanne said as she gestured him towards a seat. "Please sit."

Danny immediately obeyed, not too sure what would happen if he didn't. He saw his sister push herself off of the railing and sit herself close to him. He didn't blame her for the move but couldn't help to raise an eyebrow to her actions.

"How did you sleep Daniel?" the elderly woman asked. "You were rather exhausted last night."

"I slept fine, ma'am," he responded, picking up the vibes to use the utmost courtesy with his great-aunt.

He didn't feel it was important to say something about a weird dream that he had.

"That's good... Hungry?" Before the boy could respond, the peculiar butler arrived with a delectable lunch, consisting of linguine salad and sweet lemon meringue pie.

Fiery red eyes connected with ocean blue for a brief moment before Mikhail bowed to the three and left them alone once again.

The two siblings happily began to consumed the food that was left in their presence since they hadn't have a decent meal since yesterday morning, U.S. Central Time. They never felt so relieved that the food would not bite back or run around, especially since they lived in a house that the food is noted for being quite animated.

The three ate in silence, allowing the sounds of nature fill in the void. It was only before the conclusion of their meal did Bethanne broke the silence. She cleared her throat to get the attention of the two teenagers as she used a napkin to dab the olive oil from her wrinkled lips.

"The way you looked at that food is almost as if my niece doesn't feed you," her hoarse British accent floated to their ears. "Have you really been that deprived?"

Jazz and Danny exchanged a look before chuckling at the question. Their great-aunt rose an eyebrow to this as she realized it must be an inside joke.

The elder of the two siblings sobered up quickly to answer their great-aunt. "It's nothing, really. Just that sometimes dinner at home can lead to a battle of your life."

Now both silvery gray eyebrows were raised. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say that our parents' experiments sometimes make it out of their laboratory."

"I see..." Hazel eyes looked at the two amused teenagers before continuing. "All jokes aside, there are a few ground rules that I believe should be addressed. Just because you are staying with me and are on vacation doesn't mean I will tolerate misconduct."

At these words, both Jazz and Danny mentally gulped. The way Bethanne looked at them was enough incentive to believe that she was really serious about whatever she had to say. With this in mind, they gave her all of their attention, the raven-haired teenager especially dreading what she was about to say.

"Let it be known that I abhor tardiness. It's improper and a disgusting habit," the elder lady of the estate paused to gauge their reaction. She saw Danny's eyes widened slightly but nothing else.

"Do not leave this estate without my say so. Attend all etiquette lessons unless you have my permission to attend some other engagement..."

"Uh excuse me," Jazz interrupted politely. "Did I hear you right? Etiquette lessons?"

"Yes my dear," Bethanne replied with a gentle smile that Danny interpreted as a smirk. "I can't have you at a social gathering without you knowing a bit of British courtesy, now can I? Especially since my daughter shall be having a celebration regarding my eightieth birthday this coming Saturday."

The two siblings' eyes widened at the news as Danny said, "You don't look _that_ old."

It was Bethanne's turn to chuckle as her hazel eyes glistened. "You flatter me. A healthy, well-balanced diet and lifestyle can help in that slowing of the aging process..."

There was another moment of silence as they waited for their great-aunt to sober up from the compliment.

"Lastly," she paused, her voice very grave and filled with dark undertones that almost have the two siblings think they were talking to a different person altogether. The sun hid behind the passing clouds as nature came to a stand still. The birds stopped chirping as the wind blew across the landscape.

Hazel eyes—favoring green—glinted knowingly at the two disturbed teenagers under its glaze.

"Don't put your nose where it doesn't belong."

With that one statement, various meanings were sent across to the Fenton siblings, among them was a warning. A warning of what? They didn't know, and both could agree that it wasn't something they were willing to find out.

Nodding their heads at Bethanne's words and tone, the sun peeked out of its hiding place as the wind turned into an innocent breeze. Nature resumed its doings, the smell of roses reaching their nostrils.

"Excellent. I'm glad we understand each other," she told them with another mysterious smile, sipping her Earl Grey tea. "How is life in Amity Park? It's been a good twelve years since you have visited."

With a pause and a quick glance at his redhead sister, Danny answered, "If you ignore the ghost attacks, life's pretty normal... School, bullies, friends, family, that sort of thing."

"I see," the elderly woman muttered, staring into her reflection in the warm liquid of the teacup. "Anything out of the norm?"

Danny hesitated, shifting in his seat slightly. "Not really..."

"That's good," she said. "Anomalies can be a bit stressful on today's youth."

Jazz interjected with her own question. "So what about your life?"

The elderly woman looked up at the girl with a smile. "Entertaining guests, visiting my children and grandchildren, helping my son in the management of the family business..."

Both Jazz's and Danny's eyebrows shot up at that fact. "A family business?" they both asked at the same time. Their mother never told them about their English cousins owning a business. Then again, they never kept in contact with each other, save for the Christmas card they would exchange through the mail.

Once again, Bethanne chuckled at the two youth's facial expressions. "Yes. It is a business that the Middleford family inherited from a deceased business partner long ago. A toy company, you can say."

"So all those toys in the parlor...?" Danny asked, recalling the row of toys on one of the shelves near the fireplace.

"Yes, all made by the Funtom Company."

Now the two were speechless. First, their last name, Fenton sounding similar to Phantom, and now their English cousins' business name sounding similar to both surnames. Was Fate thoroughly enjoying itself with Danny's life? Most likely so.

Bethanne's voice spoke again, changing the subject expertly. "Regarding the party on Saturday, I will have to make sure that you have appropriate attire for the evening's festivities..."

Jazz began waving her hands wildly in front of her. "You don't have to do that. I'm sure we can find something..."

"Nonsense," Bethanne interrupted, her voice stern. "We're family and I won't allow you two to attend such a party without the appropriate attire. Besides, I do not mind spending a few euros on such things and my grandchildren wouldn't mind coming along with you."

With that finality tone, Mikhail appeared at the door. He bowed slightly in their presence. "I'm sorry to interrupt but there is some business that needs to be attended to on the phone."

"Alright," she said, standing up. "On a Sunday of all days!" She sighed as she looked at her young guests. "Feel free to explore. Dinner shall be at six-thirty sharp."

At that, Bethanne disappeared into the mansion with the mysterious butler, leaving Jazz and Danny to their own devices.

XXXXX

The afternoon sunlight poured through the windows and spilled on the marble floor of the first-floor hallway. Draperies of beige and royal blue hung about the two-meter windows, already drawn by the seemingly only staff in the mansion. A lone redwood small table stood on the right side of hall, a green porcelain vase settled on its surface.

The only life in the hallway was a brother and sister, exploring the massive mansion in which they resided for the time being.

Each room in this corridor proved to be nothing but lounges and storage rooms. _'Is there a point to this many rooms?'_ the raven-haired teenager thought to himself as he and his redheaded sister opened another door to find the third closet that they have found on this little adventure.

He was already getting bored. In Amity Park, the constant ghost attacks kept him busy. Here, there were no ghosts to fight and send back to the Ghost Zone.

He sighed, the silence of the mansion seeping into his flesh. He wanted desperately to just transform into his ghost half and fly to relieve some of the boredom he was experiencing. However, he couldn't do so. Neither him nor Jazz believed that their great-aunt and her butler were as clueless as those in their hometown. So becoming Phantom was only reserved for last-resort situations.

"Auntie Bethanne seems friendly but I couldn't help feeling a bit spooked by her." Danny nearly jumped at his sister's voice as it shattered the silence between the two.

Quickly regaining his composure, he agreed with sister. "She's always looking at me like she's already figured out my secret."

"I doubt that," Jazz assured. "She might suspect something's up but I don't believe she knows what exactly that 'something' entails."

"I hope so. The circle of people knowing my secret is slowly expanding. Even _Paulina_ has some idea that Phantom and Fenton are related in some sort of way."

"Unfortunately little brother, people are going to find out, whether through you or other means."

The redhead's voice was a bit grim in stating this fact, not liking the idea. But both siblings knew it was inevitability. After all, there is only so long that such a secret can be kept under wraps. It was only luck and the Master of Time that have been aiding him for this long. There may come a time in which he has no choice but to reveal his secret to everyone for the sake of stopping a catastrophe like Pariah Dark.

….and he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

He was cut from his musings when he heard his sister shouted to him. He glanced forward to see his sister's locks of red hair disappear behind two huge double doors.

Danny quickly followed behind, wrenching the heavy door open to see what caught his sister's attention.

What he found sent a wave of unexpected nostalgia throughout his body...

It was a rather large ballroom, the Victorian influence present again. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, its crystals reflecting the natural light flowing through the window panes. The ceiling itself was lowered a bit with several square-like impressions about several centimeters. Flowers and leaves adorned it with naturalistic hues. The walls were of similar design as the ceiling, though more toned down. The polished cherry wood floor glistened in the sunlight.

It felt as if the brother and sister were sent back to the distant past as they stood in the middle of the ballroom.

They could almost envision the parties held in that very space. They could hear laughter and excited chatter of the many guests, wearing gowns and tuxedos of long ago as the orchestra performed with much enthusiasm. The men discussed politics and business as the ladies talked about child rearing.

For some guests, adolescents they were, this was the first time they have been to such a party. They felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere but soon found themselves having a swell time with those close to their age.

These feelings Jazz and Danny were having seemed familiar but foreign at the same time. An impression left by those before them? High probable.

In their minds, they could imagine the music starting for a dance. They could see couples getting in line, the floor being cleared of those who rather be a wallflower and watch.

In mockery of the whole absurdity of such imagining, Danny held out his hand to his sister and bowed. "May I have his dance, milady?"

His sister chuckled at her brother's antics as she took his hand and replied, "How can I say no to my little brother?"

They began to waltz to the music that only existed in their own minds.

….or at least an attempt at the waltz.

Neither really knew much about ballroom dancing as both tripped over the other's feet. They found themselves laughing rather loudly at their fail attempts as a dancing couple.

It felt good to laugh without worrying too much about imminent danger looming over one's head. For once, in a long time, both siblings could agree that they felt like they could breathe again. The past year left them feeling as though they were drowning in sorrow, guilt, and fear. Now, they have reached the surface of the swirling pool of negative emotions and responsibilities, swimming towards land.

The two continued to laugh, tears starting to run down their cheeks in zeal, as they laid on their backs on the floor after falling for the fifth time.

In their laughter, they had failed to notice a pair of familiar fiery red eyes observing them within the shadows of the room. He sighed quietly, muttering to himself, "Definitely in need a ballroom dancing tutor as well..."

The butler continued to watch them as teenage boy stood up from his spot on the floor, holding out a hand to help his sister up as well.

"That was interesting," the redhead commented as she wiped a stray tear from her eye. She stood up next to her brother. "But I think we should move on."

Raven locks of hair swished rhythmically as Danny nodded in agreement. The siblings left the grandeur of the ballroom for another part of the mansion, not forgetting any time soon their feelings in that room.

XXXX

Several doors later found themselves in the mansion's library and study. A small pine table, a few chairs, and a sofa was all the furniture in the room. An oriental rug donned the floor.

Alas, that wasn't the impression it had on Jazz Fenton.

From floor to ceiling, there were shelves and shelves filled with novels, journals, and old tomes. Medical journals, Bibles, encyclopedia sets, and old magazines sat in stacks that didn't fit in the shelves. Literature of past and present and the history of the world from Victorian times to present stared at the curious redhead.

She was speechless as her eyes walked around the room, unable to stay focus on one thing. She could only manage to put together one sentence. "This...is amazing."

She glanced at her brother who already seemed bored. She sighed hopelessly, knowing fully well that Danny wouldn't find this as interesting as she did.

That was until she heard a sound of surprise. She looked over again to see Danny had uncovered a telescope near a stack of books that she assumed to be astronomy-related.

"I can't believe this thing was left to dust..." the aspiring astronaut muttered. He coughed a little on the dust as he started to use the cloth to wipe it off the old telescope. It was silver and made to last unlike some things nowadays.

He began to fiddle with the star-gazing instrument when he heard someone say, "I see you share an interest with the late Lord Middleford..."

At the voice, both Danny and Jazz looked to the source to see Mikhail dusting the books and shelves of the section closes to the door.

They were startled to say the least. Danny was more disturbed since this was the second time he was unaware of the butler's presence! It was nerve-racking that he could be sneaked up upon by this butler. It didn't leave a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of him.

But for some odd reason, he couldn't feel too much danger from him now, despite the strange vibes he was getting from the butler.

Having calmed down enough, curiosity led him to ask: "Who was Lord Middleford?"

Without looking from his work, Mikhail said in a matter-of-fact way, "A stern man and husband who had a strong love of science. He died in the winter of 1991. Pneumonia."

The butler left the library without another word to the two siblings.

After a moment of silence, Jazz called her brother's attention once again. She was looking at old newspapers this time, already captivated how far back into the past they went.

Danny came over to her to see what had her so excited over yellowed paper kept in plastic covering. He stared as he saw the headline of the newspaper the redhead was currently holding:

JACK THE RIPPER TERRORIZES LONDON

"Just look at these, little brother!" she exclaimed as she gestured to all the newspapers that were about her. "These date back to Victorian times! There are a few more newspapers on Jack the Ripper! To keep such things, almost as if they were archiving history..."

The elder Fenton continued to carefully shift through the history that laid at her fingertips. The younger sighed, knowing that his sister's curiosity gene had switched on and he won't be able to pull her away until about dinner time.

"Jazz?" he called to her.

"Yeah?" She didn't spare him a glance, still engrossed with everything.

"I'm going out. Being in here is stuffy."

"Okay," she looked up to him. "Just remember you-know-what."

He rolled his royal blue eyes at his sister's warning. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. See you around dinner time?"

"Yeah," she replied, already back at examining the newspapers and books around her. "Later. Be safe."

He rolled his eyes again, leaving his sister to her own devices.

XXXXX

Through some aimlessly wandering, the raven-haired teenager found himself in the garden towards the back of the house, where the veranda overlooked its many flowers. Roses, tulips, daffodils, and daisies grew seemingly naturally as bees buzzed about the place in a set tune. A few trees shadowed the garden in which there were stone benches underneath them. However, by one tree was a small pond with koi swimming about its depths.

Danny exhaled as he took in his surroundings, finally free to be alone for a few moments. He loved his sister dearly but he could only tolerate her for so long without losing the bit of sanity he still had left.

After making a brief mental note to see how this garden looked at night, he turned to leave.

...only to hear something rustling the leaves of the maple tree.

He quickly whipped around and saw nothing peculiar or out of place. 'Stupid paranoia,' he thought as he went to leave again. Unfortunately, his paranoia was well-justified.

Before he could reach the entrance to the garden, a wave of annoyance washed over the teenager in the form of a familiar voice.

"BEWARE! I'M THE BOX GHOST, RULER OF ALL THINGS RECTANGLE AND SQUARE!" the blue ghost in overalls bellowed. "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOOOOOOOM!"

Though not surprised by this ghost's appearance, it did make the young halfa curious as well as frustrated.

_'Even across the ocean, ghosts follow me,'_ he thought as the Box Ghost made a mess about the garden by upsetting the boxes of top soil and plant food. Danny sighed, pulling out the familiar Fenton Thermos.

"Hey Boxy!" he cried to the infuriating ghost to get his attention. As soon as the Box Ghost turned to face the halfa and his 'inferior' cylindrical container, the Thermos activated and captured the weak blue ghost before he could say, "BEWARE!"

Running his fingers through his hair, he looked down at the Fenton Thermos, finding himself grateful that he decided to bring it along. However, he was too vexed to fully indulge in that feeling.

What was the Box Ghost doing here of all places?

Looking at the inclination of the sun, he deduced that it was nearly six o'clock. He was a bit shocked for he didn't notice how much time had passed since lunch. He once again blamed it on the flight to London, already pushing the infamous box-controlling ghost's arrival to the back of his mind.

He hurried to get cleaned up before dinner since he was rather filthy due to the Box Ghost's antics. He hoped no one saw what had happened but Fate wasn't on his side.

….for within the shadows of another tree, observant fiery eyes had witnessed the entire occurrence.

XXXXX

Long after Danny and Jazz had fallen to the Sandman's grasp, mistress and butler occupied the parlor, a fire crackled within the fireplace.

The mistress sipped her tea and placed it back onto her porcelain plate of the tea set with a soft _cling_.

"Are you sure, Mikhail?" the elderly woman questioned her butler after hearing what he had to report and his theories. "I understand what could lead to such a conjecture. However what you are saying is a bit far-fetched, even for you."

"True as that may be, my senses have not and do not deceive me," he simply replied.

A tired sigh escaped her lungs as she gathered her thoughts. After a long silence, she spoke.

"Then I order you to protect my dear great-nephew and great-niece from whatever ill may befall on them in the coming days."

Kneeling down on one knee in front of his mistress, with a gloved hand over his heart, he said these three words:

"Yes..my lady."

* * *

**End Author's Notes: I wasn't kidding you when I told you that these chapters were going to get longer. This one is 5276 words long! (That's about 12 OpenOffice pages long!) This is the longest chapter I've written for a fanfiction and I'll have to say that I'm proud of myself.**

**I hope some confusion was cleared up now. (Though I may have made you all the more curious.)**

**As for ghost showings, there may be a few but not too many. The Box Ghost only showed because of a certain friend's nagging about it. (You know who you are.)**

**Well, I must go. If you see something wrong with the grammar (It's kinda unedited ^_^;;) or just want to leave a comment, then please do so politely.**

**Until next time, adieu faithful readers. -bows; dissolves into an ectoplasmic mist-**


	5. Green and Red Aren't So Complementary

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what will happen in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is before Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). The only thing I own is great-aunt Bethanne, but I'm not that proud to say that I created such a character.**

* * *

_Monday, May 30, 2005: The Guest Room of the Middleford Estate_

Streaks of red, orange and blue filled the sky, as the sun peeked over the horizon. Wisps of clouds seemed painted onto the dawn sky by an artist in a moment of inspiration.

Unlike most teenagers (namely Danny) who would take advantage of being able to sleep in, a certain redhead did not feel she needed those extra hours. It seemed the waste of a perfectly good day to just spend it in bed. It made the girl feel lazy and irresponsible, the exact opposite of what she wanted to portray to others.

Thus she was already up, already in the bath, surrounded by bubbles.

The water swished about the sides of the huge tub as the sweet smell of lavender hung about the air. She remembered fondly the many times she had taken a bath when she was younger.

During such a nightly ritual, her mother would listen to her problems (though insignificant compared to now). Usually it had to do with the ridicule she had received from her ability of absorbing information and being able to apply it to situations without much of a pause. And as per tradition, her mother would comfort her and offer to tell the then young redhead a story.

The redhead chuckled at the memory, her smile tinging of sadness. She folded her wet arms on the cool porcelain rim of the tub, her head resting on them.

She remembered a time when she didn't keep secrets from her parents. Heck, she could recall when both her and her brother would talk to them about anything—except ghosts, of course since neither were that interested in their parents' profession.

So when did the secret keeping start? When Danny had his accident? Maybe it was before all that?

She sighed as she no longer felt relaxed. She drained the tub and began to dry herself with one of the warm towels she had found in one of the cabinets.

_'When did it all begin?'_

In truth, she didn't know. Keeping secrets became such a regular chore that she didn't even realize another time when it was looked down upon. But even as she looked back to that time, she could sense on the edge of her subconscious a secret among her small family. After all, it seemed a bit strange that the Fenton family was more akin to her paternal side than with her maternal.

_'Why do we purposely distance ourselves then?'_ she mused. _'Why now do we close that gap?'_

Jazz stared at her reflection in the mirror as she wrapped herself into a white robe, two identical blue eyes staring back. Those eyes seemed not her own, shining with an omniscient gleam. She turned away and shook herself of such thoughts.

"This is not the time to be contemplating such things," she told herself as she exited the bathroom and went rummaging through her things for an outfit. "We're on vacation, which means no excessive worrying or over-analyzing. When the time comes again, then I'll worry but not now."

With that notion decided in her head, she pulled out an outfit a bit different than her norm.

Instead of her usual three-quarter-sleeved black blouse with cropped light-blue jeans, it was a simple, black T-shirt with deep navy-blue Bermuda shorts. She put it on without a moment's hesitation, completing the ensemble with her usual pair of black flats.

She towel-dried her hair more as she put a hair-tie on her wrist. After a brush and comb through her locks, Jazz placed her red locks of hair into a simple ponytail, her bangs falling into place. She neglected her usual blue turquoise headband, deeming it unnecessary to wear at the time.

With a final glance at herself, Jazz Fenton took a book from her dresser and left her guest room for breakfast.

XXXX

Like yesterday, it wasn't too hard for her to find her way about the mansion, considering that a vast majority of it wasn't used too often. It made the elder Fenton child wonder why her Auntie Bethanne would live in such an empty place. It lacked the homely feel that she could clearly see was present once before.

_'What would change such an attribute?'_ she wondered as she approached her brother's room. She didn't want to disturb him so she pressed her ear up against the wood of the door. The reassuring sound of snoring notified the teenage girl that her brother wouldn't be awake for a couple more hours, just like at home.

She smiled at the sound of the younger teenager's slumber, a light chuckle escaping her lips before continuing to the kitchen.

As she walked towards her destination, she had also noticed the fact there weren't any servants other than Mikhail. It was too quiet about the mansion and it made her feel a bit uneasy. Nonetheless, these observations made the redhead even more curious about the state of things.

Before she realized it, she was smelling the aroma of poached eggs and blueberry scones. She inhaled it, savoring the fact that it wasn't burning and fire alarms weren't sounding throughout the abode. She entered the kitchen in a slight daze until her eyes widened at whose cooking produced such a wonderful smell.

Mikhail.

The said butler had sensed another's gaze upon him. Fiery red eyes connected with a soft blue. _His eyes_, she thought as she looked into those orbs, _are they contacts? Because there's no way that color is natural..._

"Good morning, Miss Jazz," the butler greeted with what seemed to be a smile that turned into a smirk. "Is there something that you require?"

Realizing that she had been staring at him strangely the whole time, she shook her head to decline. "I'm fine," she said, looking to the food cooking on the stove (ie. avoiding eye contact). "It seems you're busy enough. I'll just get an orange and some cereal."

"My lady only desires that you and your brother feel at ease here," he told her with sincerity. "I cannot allow you to do a servant's job, so allow me to serve your breakfast."

She frantically waved her hands in front of her as she assured him, "It's fine, really! I'm used to it at home. There's no need to stop what you're doing for my sake. Just tell me where the cereal and milk are and I'll manage."

However, the redhead's efforts to thwart off the duties of the strange butler were futile. For as anyone knows, a butler's job is to please his employer and he would go to many lengths to see that accomplished.

Thus, the teenage girl gave up and found herself sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of corn flakes cereal with a few strawberries arranged in the shape of the rising sun, an orange sliced into a flower-like shape, and a porcelain cup of black tea with some mint on the little plate.

_'He overdid it...' _she thought as she sweat-dropped with her astonishment.

Noticing the young mistress' expression towards her meal, Mikhail asked, "Is there something the matter?"

Jazz snapped out of her trance and looked at the butler. "No, it's okay," she reassured. "It's just... I wasn't expecting this..."

"Do you wish for me—?"

"No!" She paused to recover from her seemingly harsh tone. "It's edible and it doesn't want to start a battle with me. Thank you." For extra measure, she genuinely smiled to ease any doubt that the butler may have had in her words.

He chuckled a bit at the girl's actions before saying, "It was my pleasure, Miss. Jazz."

A comfortable silence fell between the two occupants of the kitchen—the butler cooking breakfast for his elderly mistress and the redhead Fenton silently eating her breakfast as she read one of the old tomes she found in the library. The aroma of scones teased her senses as she continued to read about the psychological theories of the distant past.

It would have continued like this until Mikhail had to bring the breakfast tray to his mistress but Jazz's curiosity of the current abode she resided in had gotten the best of her.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're the only servant I see around here," the girl said. "Aren't there any others?"

"Yes there are," he responded in a matter-of-fact way, not taking his attention away from his cooking. "They just don't reside in the mansion... My lady doesn't wish for too many servants to be residing about if it is not necessary."

"And the family?" she pressed on, now staring at a page of the book. "Why don't they live here?"

He checked the time on the clock in the kitchen before answering. "They have their reasons as my lady has her own."

"That doesn't mean they should leave her by herself or her to isolate herself from her family."

He began transferring the small meal he had been preparing before the teenager's arrival onto porcelain plates. "There is no need to concern yourself with such things, Miss. Jazz. After all, you're on holiday if I am not mistaken."

She sighed, feeling subdued. She promised herself that she wouldn't worry about anything unless the situation demanded it. But she couldn't help it. Just like when she couldn't help but watch for her little brother to return from one of his ghost fights.

Fretting about things has always been a characteristic of her personality to the point that the girl seriously believed she must have some sort of anxiety disorder.

Unable to ask anymore questions at the moment, Jazz only watched the eerie butler leave the kitchen with the breakfast tray to fulfill his duties.

XXXX

Streams of warm light poured through the panes of window glass and fell onto the sleeping boy's face. He groaned as his face scrunched up in annoyance. He really didn't want to get up from the comforts of the huge bed as it was very comfortable to say the least.

Regardless of this fact, he forced himself to toss the bedsheets away from him but continued to lay in the bed. Whatever energy was supposed to be there when one awakens from their slumber was seemingly siphoned from the boy.

However, there were no strange dreams the night before—at least none that he could recall—which in itself was a relief to him, not wanting to go through _that_ again.

He looked at the time and saw that there was less than an hour before lunch. Also judging by that time, he figured that his sister would be immersed in the many books of the library until that time.

He was taking out his MP3 player in his carry-on bag...

_Blue eyes..._

Danny blinked at the words, looking around his room for the source.

He was alone.

He dismissed it as a gust of wind going past a crack in the wall. However, it was at this time that he saw that there were five minutes until the midday meal.

Pushing the words to the back of his mind, he scampered down to the dining hall.

XXXX

"You are late, Daniel," the elderly British woman stated curtly as she sipped her noon tea. She only glanced at the teenage boy with disdain over the rim of her cup as he took his seat at the table. And as always, Mikhail stood at her side like a statue, face void of all expression.

Despite the looks he was receiving for his tardiness from his great-aunt, Danny was actually glad that he was able to make it to the veranda without passing out onto the granite floor. He was still feeling the spontaneous fatigue that was currently plaguing him.

The hairs on the back of his neck tingled as he felt his elder sister's concerned gaze on him, knowing she already had observed this fact.

"I'm sorry Auntie Bethanne," he apologized after a moment's pause. "I just couldn't—"

"It does not matter," she interrupted. "I know of your constant tardiness and absences at school and your unbelievable array of excuses for them. In the adult world, my dear Daniel, excuses are just that, excuses. One excused tardy may help keep your job but it is still a tardy. It is still money and time wasted on every minute you are late. The same goes for absences. You may not see the importance now, however you shall before you return home."

Danny mentally gulped at her words, knowing what Bethanne has in store from him wouldn't bode well at all. After nodding at her words, the famished raven-haired boy sat down to eat.

As like yesterday's meal times, this one was silent eating, as neither of the Fenton siblings had any ideas nor the courage to attempt at conversing with their hostess at the moment. They only allowed the sounds of silverware tapping against dishes throughout the entire meal.

Then their great-aunt's voice reached their ears as Mikhail pulled out her chair and she stood up.

"I will be attending to some business in my office for most of the afternoon," she announced to her great-nephew and great-niece. "Your etiquette lesson is at three o'clock sharp in the ballroom You may meander about the grounds as you please until then. See you at dinnertime."

Butler and mistress disappeared into the mansion, leaving brother and sister alone to look at the scenery.

"What's wrong?" The redhead asked her younger brother after she was sure their hostess was out of earshot. "Another nightmare of **him**?"

"No," the raven-haired teenager said a bit stiffly. "Just tired. Ever woke up and it felt like you ran a marathon but you don't remember how that happened?"

"Yeah, usually from studying before going to sleep," she paused with realization. "Did you—?"

"I didn't do anything other than capturing the Box Ghost and that was **before** dinner. Maybe I'm still suffering from jet-lag, I don't know."

"Well, it certainly isn't normal. Did you have any dreams lately?"

For this, Danny had to lie. He didn't want his sister to be fretting over something when it was suppose to be their vacation. She deserved the break as much as he did and he wasn't going to allow a random dream like the other night impede on her peace.

"No," he replied without missing a beat.

They stood in silence, the wind tussling their hair and clothes. The clouds began to gather, preparing to rain.

"Well, I'm going to go to the library before we have to go to the etiquette lesson," Jazz said as she pushed herself off the railing and looked at her brother. "Want to come with me?"

Danny shook his head and gave her a lop-sided smile. "You know that the library isn't my favorite place to be... I'll meet you at the ballroom, okay?"

His sister rose a skeptic eyebrow. "What do you plan on doing, Daniel James Fenton? You know you can't be late or Auntie Bethanne may belittle you even more and get suspicious."

"Just exploring. And don't worry, I'll be on time for the lessons."

"You better be," she warned. Then she left him for the comfort of the old library.

He sighed sadly as once again, he was keeping a secret from his sister.

"It's for the best that she doesn't know," he reassured himself as he looked up at the cloudy sky.

XXXX

Books and newspapers were opened in a circle around the seventeen-year-old girl as she absorbed the contents of each page.

This was Jazz's circle of knowledge.

Some books were medical journals, psychological theories, and case studies while others were works of fiction. Despite these being her top interests, the redhead couldn't help but read more from the Jack the Ripper newspapers than the others.

The case itself was baffling: young prostitutes being killed and their organs taken out in almost a surgical way, however the identity of killer himself—or herself—has been lost to history.

_'The killer must have had some medical experience to do something like that,'_ she mused, _'and despised the act of prostitution...' _

"Quite the reader, Miss Jazz."

The said girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Mikhail calmly dusting the bookshelves on the other side of the room. His face was away from hers, preventing the girl to see the smirk that danced about his features.

"H-h-how long have you been there?" she stuttered with her ocean blue eyes wide.

The butler chuckled as he continued dusting. "As long as you have been mediating over that circle of literature."

Jazz began to calm down but was still startled by the fact that she didn't hear him come in. She dismissed it as being too enthralled by the case.

"Er... Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude," she muttered. She looked away as light blush of embarrassment dancing about her cheeks.

She felt him looming over her in an instant, a breeze the only indication of his approach.

"Quite a horrific story, is it not?" he asked her as he picked up a Jack the Ripper article. "Forgive me for me being blunt, however, you did not seem the type to find these sort of things worthy of your time."

She stood up and looked at him with a stern glare. "The reason why I was looking at them was to analyze the psychological aspect of the case. I want to major in psychology when I go to college. It's best to start preparing now."

"Oh I see," he said as he walked towards the door. He gave one final glance to the redhead. "After all, going to university is important as well."

Then he was gone.

She let out a sigh of relief and looked at the time.

_2:25...Best to clean up now so I'm not late,_ she thought as she began putting everything away. She was putting the Jack the Ripper articles away when a cherry-red, leather-bound book caught her eye.

Placing the articles in their proper place, she advanced towards what she quickly discovered was a diary. The cover was worn and the edges of the pages were yellowed from aging. Seeing the keyhole on the right side of the diary, it was to be opened by a key that must have been lost in the distant past.

Curious, the redhead went to touch it but felt stopped. She couldn't move her trembling hand closer, as if something was holding her back.

_You mustn't know... _

She jumped at the disembodied voice, looking around.

Then she saw it.

Floating a few feet away in front of her, it looked like a blurred image of a young woman in a white, ripped up nightgown, weeping.

A ghost.

_To lose someone you love..._

"I can help you," Jazz said to the ghost girl. "Maybe I could—"

_NO! _

It screeched as it faded away, the diary having disappeared along with it.

"Jazz?"

She snapped out of her fright as she saw her younger brother panting at the doorway. Without a second thought, she ran over to the boy and hugged him.

"Jazz!" he yelped in shock. "Can't...breathe..."

She quickly let go after realizing what she just did. "Sorry... It's just... I saw this sad ghost and..."

"So that's what set off my ghost sense..." Danny muttered to himself. "Did it do anything to you?"

"No," the redhead replied, her red bangs hiding her face. "It just wept over a lost love and it made me very upset. She seemed without any hope."

She felt a squeeze on her left shoulder. She lifted her head to see the raven-haired teenager with a lop-sided grin on his face.

"It seems that we are both a magnet for ghosts, huh?" he said to her teasingly.

"I guess so," she paused. "Especially since we live in Ghost Central, U.S.A. with ghost hunters for parents. Shouldn't come as a surprise."

"Not at all," he paused. "Well, there isn't much we could do for that ghost, since the only known portal to the Ghost Zone is over the Atlantic. ...and she isn't malevolent so we could leave her alone. Let's go to that oh-so wonderful etiquette lesson in the ballroom."

She glanced at the time and gasped. "We better run then. It's five minutes to 3 o'clock!"

With that being said, both siblings raced towards the ballroom, praying that they won't be late.

XXXX

Upon entering the ballroom, there stood the mysterious butler, Mikhail, waiting for the Fenton siblings to arrive.

A table was set off to the side, the china already set on the clean white tablecloth.

But that wasn't what caught Jazz's and Danny's eye.

No, it was the blond boy, no older than eighteen, sitting at the table. He wore a short-sleeved forest green polo with khaki shorts and loafers. His sharp but kind green eyes were nothing like Great-Aunt Bethanne's when they were favoring that color, looking out into the world from behind a pair of rectangular-shaped glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.

He looked at them and flashed them a genuine smile.

"Mr. Danny and Miss Jazz, this is the grandson of Lady Bethanne, Xavier Philip Middleford," the butler introduced as his fiery eyes looked at the said teenager with disdain. "He is also here for etiquette lessons, so you should acquaint yourselves well with him."

"I'm only here because I wanted to meet my relatives from across the pond," the blond stated, returning the scornful look. "The etiquette lessons are only supplementary."

Jazz and Danny looked at each other uncomfortably as the butler and the blond glared—well the butler was smiling sardonically—at each other briefly before Mikhail moved on with the lesson.

"Lady Bethanne saw it fit that I handle the etiquette lessons, instead of giving the task to someone else," he quickly glanced at Xavier as he continued smiling. "So we shall begin with dining etiquette... Now the key point is to be mature...be mature..."

'He said it twice,' all three adolescents thought at the same time as Danny gulped.

The raven-haired teenager knew that it was going to be a **very** long afternoon.

XXXX

"I don't think that my head will be the same after this." Danny yawned as the three adolescents left the ballroom at around four-thirty. He was stretching his arms over his head with Xavier and Jazz walking alongside him.

"Oh Danny, it wasn't that bad," the redhead said, rolling her eyes. "Sure, he was especially picky on you but he just wants us not to embarrass ourselves on Saturday."

"Face it, Jazz, he's got a point," Xavier chimed in with his British accent. "He was only nice to you."

"Because I **listened** to him!" she replied with a stern glare. "Unlike two boys who kept interrupting him every two seconds."

"For your information, I only interrupted him once because I was a bit confused on the difference between the two forks," the youngest teenager retorted. "It was Xavier who did the rest."

"The bloke is a pain in the arse," the blond scoffed. "He's always following me everywhere and makes my life miserable when I'm here."

"Then why did you come?" the redhead asked.

"I wanted to see my cousins," he paused. "To make sure you are being treated well by Mikhail." The eighteen-year-old spat the name out as if it were venom.

"Well, he does have that mysterious aura about him," the eldest sibling admitted. "But we haven't done anything to cause him to treat us badly."

"Give it a while," Xavier advised as he walked a bit ahead. "He'll show his true colors."

Both siblings exchanged a look that said, 'Maybe if you gave him a chance...'

Then abruptly the blond turned around.

"Let's ask my grandmother if we can spend time together on Wednesday," he said with a goofy grin. "I have a friend I want you two to meet."

Without leaving any room for rejection, Xavier led the way to his grandmother's office with Jazz and Danny trailing behind.

* * *

**End Author's Notes: -hides behind a barricade- I'm sorry for the unexpected hiatus and I should have known better than set a schedule for me to update. I had so many things-from school to home life-that I had to sacrifice fanfiction. And I'm even more sorry that you guys got stuck with a filler chapter of all things.  
**

**You see, I'm officially a high school graduate, meaning I now have more time to work on the more important things in life. For example, fanfiction! ^_^**

**And if you haven't noticed, there is another-oh God why do I do this to myself?-OC, Xavier Middleford. These OCs are a necessary evil considering that all the original human characters from KSJ are dead by the beginning of this story. Don't worry, they won't turn into Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus. I'll shoot myself first..  
**

**Well, I must go and continue chapter 5, which will be EPIC because there will FINALLY be plot development! **

**So until next time...**

** Adieu faithful readers.**


	6. Sadistic Girls and Feminine Boys

A/N: And so I've now expanded that oneshot into something more interesting. For those who are familiar with KSJ, I'm going by the anime for it is more suitable for my purposes. Thus, this story will be post-season 1 for KSJ, disregarding what happens in season two. For those who are familiar with Danny Phantom, the time line is after the third season but no Phantom Planet. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler).**

**

* * *

**_Tuesday, May 31, 2005: The Library of the Estate_

Dinnertime had long since passed as the sun descended below the horizon. The clouds obscured the raising moon, threatening rain at a moment's notice.

With only the dim lighting to keep her company, the eldest Fenton sibling was in the library once again. She became almost as obsessive as the ghosts that haunted her hometown, searching for anything that may have resembled the disheveled ghost that she saw the day before.

_'No such luck,'_ the redhead thought in dismay as she pushed away another photo album. _'I looked all day today, only breaking for meals and the bathroom, and there isn't a single picture in this library that matches the description of the girl I saw... Who was she?'_

Jazz sighed as she saw the clock's hands moving towards the midnight hour. At this rate, she would be too tired for tomorrow's activities.

_'I guess I could look into it later,'_ she supposed as she turned off the light and drifted off to her room.

_In the parlor..._

A fire roared in the hearth, bathing the parlor in an orange glow. As per habit, the mysterious Lady Bethanne sat, staring at its flames. Her after-dinnertime tea had long cooled off, only bitter and would pierced her tongue with needles of ice if she were to take a sip.

"Tomorrow, Daniel and Jasmine are going out with Xavier?" The elderly woman asked her faithful butler, her eyes never leaving those alluring flames.

"Yes," came the reply from behind her.

"Good," she said, the flames reflected onto her spectacles. "We do not need them to be here when a good thorough cleaning of the mansion is taking place."

"Is there something the matter, milady?" he asked of his mistress. There was a long pause before Bethanne spoke again.

"It is nothing of importance anyway..." the hazel-eyed woman trailed off. Mikhail remained silent, letting the elderly woman speak out her thoughts.

"Is it not time to bade the night a farewell?"

A smirk spread across her face as she turned to the silent butler.

XXXX

_Wednesday, June 1, 2005: Guest Bathroom_

Warm water gently poured over the young teenager's body as he relaxed into its embrace. He let it calm his nerves and wash away all uncertainties from his mind. Here, there were no ghosts, no strange dreams, no danger.

...just the comforting sound of water massaging every ache and pain, whether it was physical, emotional, or mental.

Its fingers played with his raven hair as he felt at peace with himself.

Unfortunately, this peace was interrupted in the form of a redhead barging into the bathroom without knocking. Both stood there wide-eyed as both siblings noticed his...ahem...naughty parts.

The elder of the two looked away to hide the blush of embarrassment that currently adorned her cheeks.

"Jazz, what the heck!" Danny exclaimed, as he turned off the shower and grabbed his towel to cover said naughty parts. "If you really wanted to take a shower, all you had to do was knock."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I assumed that you wouldn't be up this early."

"Well," he started as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda have to be since great-aunt Bethanne's basically kicking us out for the afternoon."

"That is true."

"Do you still want the shower?"

"Are you sure? I mean, I could come back..."

"It's fine," he waved her off. "I was almost done anyway."

After a mutual agreement that what had happened would stay between them, Danny went to his room to get dressed, leaving Jazz the bathroom to freshen up as well.

A light chuckle could be heard as footsteps echoed down the hall outside.

XXXX

At twelve-thirty in the afternoon, both Fenton siblings were going to the parlor to meet with their great-aunt Bethanne. A little while ago, the butler came to them about her wanting to speak with them before they were let loose to the city of London.

"What could she possibly want to talk about?" the raven-haired teenager asked his elder sister as they approached the parlor. "What more can she tell us other than, "Be safe and have fun!"? The redhead shrugged.

"Maybe this is how she does things with her guests," she hypothesized. "She probably did this with her own children."

With a sigh, both entered the parlor. The mistress and butler must have been talking, judging by how abruptly the butler stopped. Mikhail left the room, his eyes locking with the adolescent boy's own for a brief second before continuing on whatever task he was sent to complete.

"My," the silver-haired woman said at the sight of the two siblings. "What ever took you children so long to see me?"

"We're sorry, auntie," Jazz apologized for the both of them. "What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah yes," the older woman paused as she looked through her ebony purse. She pulled out a royal blue envelope that was filled with euros. "While you are in London, you two will go to a friend of mine. She has already found formal attire for yourselves for Saturday evening. All you two have to do is try said formal attire and she would make the adjustments as needed."

The two exchanged a quick glance at one another, almost as if saying, _'She was serious?'_

The elder of the two looked back at their great-aunt. "Are you sure, auntie? I mean, there is no need..."

The light glinted off her reading glasses, making it unable to see her eyes at the angle the siblings stood. "For this month, you are members of high-society. Any person worth their place in this society would know proper British etiquette, familiarize themselves with ballroom dancing, dress to impress the masses, and above all..."

A smirk ghosted onto the aged face of the lady of the estate as the Fenton siblings were able to see the shine in the woman's hazel eyes.

"...know how to keep their scandals, conspiracies, and other secrets to themselves."

Silence fell onto the parlor. The mistress smirked in a seemingly condescending way towards the disturbed siblings.

Danny was the first to break the silence as he cleared his throat nervously. "I'm sure we'll be fine. We're only here for a month."

Bethanne smiled at the boy with aged hazel eyes—favoring green at the moment. "You may never know what could happen in a month, dear Daniel."

Without even turning around, she gave the money envelope to the butler that suddenly appeared behind her.

"The car is ready, my lady," Mikhail stated as he looked to Danny and Jazz. "Shall we depart?"

XXXX

If there was one word that could describe the atmosphere in the car, it would be 'awkward.'

Even though the brother and sister had been driven by the mysterious butler before, they were not very cognitive at the time to care. However, with all of them fully awake, they realized that they could not really talk about anything (coughHalf-Ghostscough) since the butler would hear and possibly tell Bethanne about it.

"So, how did you sleep, little brother?" Jazz asked as she observed his movements. '_I know he's keeping something from me...'_

"Fine actually," he replied, staring at the passing scenery. "Unlike someone who stayed up 'til around midnight, I went to sleep around eleven."

"Well, aren't you proud of yourself? Maybe you should follow that policy more often."

"Heheheh. Very funny, Jazz."

"I try to be," she paused. "Not looking forward to this party though."

"Why? Rather be in the library, reading your life away?"

"No, just that I have this feeling of dread."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Sure, the whole formal-wear thing is a bit much and it would be filled with the equivalent of a million carbon copies of Sam's parents... But we'll make the best of it. After all, it **is** our great-aunt's birthday party. The least we could do is endure the torture. Besides, I'm sure there will be some people at the party that she isn't too fond of as well..."

"That's true." The elder sibling shook her head to get rid of her building anxiety.

"Well, I wonder who Xavier is having us meet today," the raven-haired teenager said distractingly. "All he told us was that his name is Charlie..."

Everyone in the car either sighed or scowled at their own image of the flamboyant young adult.

XXXX

_Wednesday, June 1, 2005: Climpson & Sons_

A sigh and a sip...

A snap and a sigh...

"Someone's an impatient bloke," a young, British-accented voice said teasingly as a tanned hand lifted the warm caffeine in liquid form to its mouth. "Gotten used to havin' things here and now, eh? Got a golden spoon to go along with it?"

"Put a sock in it, Charlie," the blond put his head down on the table. "I bet it's that butler's fault they're late."

"Oh," the said person paused. "The person that is the 'bane of Xavier's existence'?"

"He is! All he does is make my life miserable."

"Does he now?"

"Yes. He watches me like a caged animal with his amber eyes."

"Amber eyes, huh?"

"Yes, and he wears all black."

"Yep, go on..."

"He insults me and my parents. Especially me."

"That's easy to do with someone like you..."

"He sent a bunch of cats on me! I got scratched in places that I didn't even know existed! He's demented!" Xavier paused as he saw that his friend was looking past him. "Are you even listening to my rant for the fiftieth time?"

"Of course I am," the friend smirked. "Just that I was wondering if I have spotted this person outside, letting two teenagers out of a black car."

"Eh?" The emerald-eyed man turned around to see his American cousins standing outside the cafe with said bane of his existence.

"You know, Vivi," Charlie started with a sigh. "Instead of using all that energy for hatred towards your grandmother's butler, why not use it for something more productive? I don't know, what we are **suppose** to be here for?"

"Alright fine," he said as he stood from his chair and headed outside. "But if he starts it, I'm finishing it."

_'Highly unlikely but it would be funny to watch,'_ Charlie thought, knowing full and well that the blond had little to no fighting skill whatsoever.

"Hey Xavier!" Jazz greeted with a wave. "We were wondering where you were..."

"I was just enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend. Though the question begs to be asked," he paused as he glared at the butler. "Why are you here? This is supposed to be cousin bonding!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Xavier," Mikhail 'apologized' as a smile graced his face, "but I am to escort them to retrieve the proper attire for Saturday. Milady thought to kill two birds with one stone and get the task done today."

_'More like kill _ three_ birds with one stone...'_ The blond sighed dejectedly. "Fine, we'll get that out of the way first so that way you can take your leave."

"Of course," the butler stated. "After all, I do not wish to interfere with your bonding time."

A throat cleared rather loudly as the four individuals turned their attention to the source.

Standing in front of the cafe's window, a sixteen-year-old girl had her slender arms crossed in front of her chest with a scowl on her face. She wore a form-fitting peach tank top with a dark brown knee-length Bohemian skirt and white sandals. Her short, choppy burgundy hair reached the bottom of her chin, her bangs covering her forehead. ...and her piercing chestnut brown eyes made the blond cower at her imposing stare.

It was an interesting sight to say the least.

"As much as I like hearing the lover's spat between you two," the brunette paused for Xavier's indignation of his friend's description before continuing. "I thought I would stop you two before my friend here humiliates himself. Again."

"Ah, c'mon Charlie! That's hitting below the belt."

Danny and Jazz blinked in shock at this development. "You're Charlie?" Both siblings cried at the same time.

"Yeah... What of it?"

"From what Xavier told us, we were expecting a guy," Danny said at the girl's menacing glare. The glare was redirected to the blond-haired man, who was rewarded with a smack at the back of his head.

"You have no manners when it comes to me, do you?" she asked the fallen boy. "I'm just one of the guys, huh? So much that you describe me as one!"

The weeping blond clung to her Bohemian skirt, begging for forgiveness. Danny and Jazz were torn between laughing or being disturbed. _'What happened to not humiliating him?'_

It was now Mikhail's turn to interrupt (though he would reminiscence on this scene later). "It is a quarter before three," he informed them. "I would recommend it best for all of us to go now."

After a majority vote—obviously Xavier voted against—the adolescents entered into the black Sedan, with the irritated blond in the front seat for Charlie's sadistic enjoyment.

XXXX

Oxford Street. The most busiest place in all of the West End. Tourists and residents alike bustled about its congested sidewalks and ways. The streets alone were a disaster as many people were returning home after a day's work.

However, these teenagers would not be going to one of the most popular tourist spots in London. No, their destination was a small shop off the corner of Brook Street and New Bond Street.

"Beauté Rouge?" Danny and Jazz read from the sign with expressions of askance. They looked to Xavier, muttering something under his breath. Charlie was chuckling at whatever the blond was saying. Then they glanced at the cool expression of Mikhail, and sweat-dropped.

_'Is there something we're missing?'_ the two clueless adolescents thought at the same time.

The mysterious butler sighed and broke the silence. "I think it would be fair to warn you two of this tailor's... _peculiarity_," he paused. He gestured them to follow him into the shop and they complied. "It is best to deal with it so it can all be finished with sooner."

The interior of the store lived up to its name. While it was set up like any other tailoring shop—stands for clients, a counter for the clerk, mannequins, suits, tuxedos, and extravagant dresses—wherever one would turn, there was the color red staring right into its guest's face.

However, it was suspiciously empty.

"Oh well, I guess he's having tea," the blond stated, his eyes closed as he was about to leave out the door. "We should come back later."

Before he could take a step, his hand was grabbed by three imposing forces. "I suggest you stay here," Charlie's voice commanded. A squeak escaped the eighteen-year-old's throat as he was pulled back towards the group.

The sound of chuckling wafted from the back room to the group as footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Anxiety built up in the front room, with the raven-haired teenager subconsciously slipping into a defense posture. This did not go unnoticed by his sister or the butler.

A man dressed in a button-down shirt and trousers that were the same color as the shop emerged from the darkness of the back room. His long, red hair trailed behind him as his vibrant green eyes stared at his clients through red-rimmed glasses. A shark's smile crept onto his face as he winked towards Mikhail.

"Oh what do I owe the pleasure, my little devil~?" the strange man asked as he trailed his talons to the butler's tie.

"My lady sent me here to retrieve the tuxedo and evening gown for Daniel and Jasmine Fenton," the calm butler stated.

"Why is it all business and no play with you?" To the siblings' surprise, the male redhead pouted!

A tick mark seemed to appear over Mikhail's eyebrow. "Mr. Sutcliff, do you not have a job to complete at this moment?" The butler gestured to said adolescents. The two walked over cautiously to the man in red.

Grell had been given photographs of the two from the old hag of the Middleford estate, since he was the one to design their attire. However, to see them in person was a completely different story.

"Oh, so you're Dan-Dan and Jazzy~!" he exclaimed with excitement. "To think that copper red is your natural hair color~ I had so much fun with your gown!"

She smiled nervously. "Thanks, I guess?"

He moved to Danny. "Your body is so well-built. Like a knight in shining armor~ (or a prince of death)" the red-haired man pulled the poor teenager into a suffocating hug. "Oh, Sebby, why can't you be like Dan-Dan?"

The said butler only stared in response.

"I shall return with your gown and tuxedo~!" the red-adorned man proclaimed. He blew a kiss towards Mikhail before disappearing behind the black curtains of the back room.

Danny twitched as he paled, "He called me 'Dan-Dan'..." His sister placed a hand of comfort on his shoulder.

"He tends to do that," both the blond and the butler deadpanned. It was evident that both parties could agree that they could not stand the flamboyant man.

After an hour of adjustments to both the gown and the tuxedo, they prepared to depart. Mikhail had let the others leave the shop before Grell tugged him to the side.

"That kid," he whispered. "Is he—?"

"Do not concern yourself with such things, Mr. Sutcliff." the butler stopped to smirk at the inquiring shinigami. "After all, when have you cared for a 'brat' like my previous master?"

* * *

**A/N: Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays! -hides behind barricade- **

**I'm so sorry for another unexpected hiatus. With being an university student and all the craziness of this past semester, I wasn't able to write as much as I would have liked. I'll continue to try my best to update but I can't make any guarantees about a regular updating schedule. **

**On a much lighter note, oh my gosh, it's a Grell! Hehehehe, Dan-Dan and Jazzy! To tell you guys the truth, I wasn't really going to put him in the story but he somehow wedged his way into it. ^_^;; Well, at least 'Mikhail'-oh the heck with it, Sebastian-and Xavier have a common annoyance. XD**

**And there goes another OC, Charlotte "Charlie" Weber. Between her and Grell, they will provided the much needed comic relief. Why? Because starting next chapter, this story is going to get dark rather quickly.**

**Well that is all for now but expect the party chapter quite soon, since it is nearly half done! ^_^**

**Until next time, adieu faithful readers. -bows; crumbles to dust-  
**


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